


Saccharine

by varibean



Category: Never Satisfied (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, and his feelings on january being lapointe's new apprentice, do you ever just -clenches fists- love conflicting characters, this might be a little ooc but i wanted to write something with sylas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 09:36:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18891970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/varibean/pseuds/varibean
Summary: The sight of the rose sends a shiver down your spine, the lush blooming pink making you grimace slightly at what it symbolizes. It’s pinned ever so neatly to January’s shirt and even against the summer shade it reaches out to you, a vile and obtrusive thing.





	Saccharine

The sight of the rose sends a shiver down your spine, the lush blooming pink making you grimace slightly at what it symbolizes. It’s pinned ever so neatly to January’s shirt and even against the summer shade it reaches out to you, a vile and obtrusive thing. It has no place being there, it has no place existing in your line of sight. But that doesn’t change the reality of the situation, the pressing notion that makes you sick to your stomach when you realize what’s going on.

Lapointe has chosen January.

Besides the initial gut reaction and the shame that you’re so easily replaced, the fact doesn’t surprise you. Of course Lapointe would go after January. She’s who pressured you out of the competition; she’s the strongest, the loudest, the most loyal. A perfect candidate in every possible way. She seems to be proud of the rose and all it represents, judging by the way she’s smiling and talking to-no, at-Philomena. You can’t make out her exact words. You’re a good distance away but you can still hear the echoes of her voice as she speaks with passion and drive.

You wonder where she took January to eat: the restaurant at the harbor or the little bruncheon in the city. You know Lapointe’s games, how she works. Saccharine promises drip from her lips over lunch or dinner, words replacing the after-meal mint. That was you once; younger, more foolish, believing every candy-coated lie that came out of her mouth. Then you got older, a bit wiser to the situation, especially after Seiji joined and became her favorite. You learned fast that you weren’t a student, you were a pawn and it was a role you were forced to learn how to fill. The first time you displeased Lapointe the sweetness stopped and all that was left was the echoes of those past words and sugar rotting.

You look at the rose and know that there’s a thorn there.

Part of you wants to stop this. You want to go down there, be assertive and make January listen to you, to shake some sense into her and have your voice be heard for once. You want to look her dead in the eyes and say: _‘That woman is not your friend.’_

And then what? January laughs in your face at best, beats you up at worst, gets everyone else to yell at you and belittle you, most realistically. Really, what do you owe her? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She’s done nothing but treat you miserably, make you feel horrible.And for what? So that she could be used and toyed with by the _Great Magister_ Fidelia Lapointe?

_Maybe she deserves to suffer a little._

Then immediately to that thought comes the response; _nobody deserves to suffer like that_.

You steel yourself against your thoughts, ever dueling in your mind. You can never stop the back and forth, no matter how hard you try.

Tetsu and Broom Girl-you really should’ve asked for her name while you were still in the competition-arrive together and you watch the commotion as the competition begins. The instructor, Siobhan, talks in a loud booming voice that you can hear from your perch. Everyone starts teaming up and you only half listen when Fenn and Fineas start to squabble around your neck.

The sound of footsteps tears you a bit from your mulling but not before you give the situation on last cursory thought.

You owe January nothing and besides, she’s strong. She’s gifted. She can handle herself.

_Isn’t that what you thought about Seiji?_

_Isn’t that what your father said about you?_

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fanfiction i've written in forever but never satisfied just inspired me. wanted to write a lil something about sylas from the last chapter, just brooding in the sunlight and lookin' down on everyone. conflicting interests of 'no one should have to go through what lapointe puts people through' and 'i owe january nothing for how she's treated me, it's not my business'


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